"Ha! You make me feel ancient, you know? I'm only a year older, just like Harry. Call me Dudley, or Dud, whatever you fancy," Dudley replied, being completely respectful towards her. Never touching her inappropriately.
Ginny chuckled. This was her first-ever interaction with Dudley. And honestly, now that she got the chance to look at him from so close, she found him pleasing to the eye. And he was Harry's cousin and a famous Muggle. She'd heard stories Harry told Ron, who told her—How Dudley helped Harry fight bullying and loneliness before Hogwarts.
"So, why were you flying so low anyway?"
"I—Please don't tell anyone. I wanted to check out the mist and see what the next task is about so I could help Harry."
"Is that all?" Dudley raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You could've just asked me, you know. Given the size of the mist and the other tasks we've had, I'd wager it's some sort of time-based obstacle course. Likely a maze of sorts."
Ginny's eyes sparkled, completely forgetting she was being carried and there were a lot of students who saw her like that. "T-That makes sense—Ah, I'm sorry, you can put me down. Your arms must be tired."
"Tired? You weigh nothing," he said, a lie.
Though she was a light, she was still a grown woman. He was no superhuman and felt his arms were slightly sore. But saying that would've made her feel ashamed of her weight. He'd dealt with enough girls to know that.
Soon, Dudley walked into the Hospital Wing with her and placed her on the bed. Madam Pomfrey came quickly, asked a few questions, and started healing Ginny.
"Thanks, Dud," Ginny said from the bed.
"Don't min—"
Just as he was hoping to leave, he saw Professor McGonagall stride towards him. By her speed and expressions, he knew exactly what she was going to say. So, he responded to her before she said anything.
"Understood, Professor. I'll go to the Headmaster's office right away."
"..."
Professor McGonagall was left speechless. Was she really that obvious?
####
Dudley sat in front of Dumbledore. The old man was busy nursing Fawkes' feathers.
"Cornelius left only an hour ago—quite an outburst, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said with a calm, almost gentle smile. "The Ministry has become aware of your attempt to use magic for Muggle manufacturing. I daresay they may call upon you to explain your actions. And, naturally, they are none too pleased about your meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister, especially given the lack of prior notice."
Dudley's expression darkened, his arms folding tightly across his chest. "The Ministry has no say in my personal affairs. I'm not breaking any laws, whether the Ministry's or the IWC's. And as for the Muggle Prime Minister, they'd do well to remember I'm a Muggle businessman first—certainly not some Ministry servant."
The old man nodded thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling with a hint of understanding. "Indeed, that's what I did. But, alas, I fear that Cornelius is losing his way. You see, all men yearn for power, and the more they possess, the greater their hunger grows. The Ministry's position must be a most intoxicating one, don't you agree?"
"Are you warning me, Professor?"
"I'm advising you, Mr. Dursley. Be wary of the Ministry. While there may be no laws in place at present, but remember, the Ministry possesses the power to craft them at will. It is not beyond their reach to outlaw the very D&D Bank itself. The Goblins, too, are watching closely and hold significant influence within the Ministry. Exercise caution."
Dudley gritted his teeth and got up, pacing back and forth in the room. "You see it, don't you, Professor? This is exactly why we need to get the bank right. The Goblins have far too much say in our finances… Ugh, I hate politics."
Dumbledore gave a knowing nod. "It is not the thing itself, but those who wield it, that makes it distasteful."
"I suppose you're right, Professor."
In the end, Dudley sighed and just accepted it. But he wasn't out of options.
Everything will change tomorrow.
"I'll take my leave now, Professor. If the Ministry intends to summon me, I'd like to have a few answers ready."
After meeting the Headmaster, Dudley went to the Great Hall and finally found Hannah and Susan having lunch. He spent the rest of the day with them, then eventually a fine, steamy evening in the Arithmancy classroom.
Late at night, all of Hufflepuff gathered to wish Cedric luck.
"Good luck," Dudley shook his hand.
But at the same time, he felt conflicted. Should he save him or not? He thought about it a lot, even after lying in his bed in the dorm room. He turned and tossed nervously, but eventually made up his mind.
If I can without endangering myself, I'll save him. If I can't… that's bad luck.
####
Pa! Pa! Papapa!
The Hogwarts band played the trumpets well. Loud claps and cheers echoed through the amphitheater. The four Champions had come out into the middle where Dumbledore was busy explaining their task.
In the stands, at the far back, Dudley sat between Susan and Hannah. The girls were screaming loudly for Diggory, waving the flag of Hufflepuff. It was late evening, not that far from sunset. The air itself felt eerie that evening. Perhaps Dumbledore sensed something too as the old man looked like he was sweating.
BOOM!
With Filch's untimely cannon explosion, the task began. One after another, all the four champions rushed into the maze. Unsurprisingly, Fleur gave him a look before entering. For that, he received a lot of elbow wounds from Hannah and Susan at his sides.
Dudley looked around and failed to find the fake Professor Moody. Nor was there Lily anywhere in the arena.
Let's get on with this.
"Susan, Hannah—I think I ate something bad." He clutched his stomach hard. "I'll be back in a moment."
Hannah looked worried. "I'll come with you."
"No!—That's what you get for giving that Veela all the attention." Susan scoffed, pouting, and grabbed Hannah's arm. "Let him go alone, Han."
Dudley chuckled and roughly pinched Susan's cheek. "You minx—You'll have all my attention this summer."
"We'll see." Susan shrugged and let him go.
Dudley didn't know if Susan somehow knew he had a different motive. Or perhaps she was really angry. He silently thanked her and left the audience's stands. There was nothing to watch anyway with the champions running around in the maze.
Careful of his steps, alone, he entered the Hogwarts Castle, grabbed a low-quality, temporary Invisibility Cloak, and went out again, towards Hagrid's hut. As the big man was at the amphitheater, there was nobody stopping Dudley.
By the time he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the sun had already set, coating everything in pitch-black darkness. But still careful, Dudley put on the white mask on his face underneath the Invisibility Cloak. After that, he normally wore the rest of his clothes. Combat boots, pants, a tactical belt, a shirt, gloves, and an enchanted black leather trench coat.
Finally, he fetched the silver locket on his neck and gripped it in a pinch.
"Tonks is the best."
Snap!
####
The Portkey's password was set by Tonks, he had no other choice. Dudley felt his body twist and contract for a split second.
The next moment, he found himself standing in the middle of an underground hall, surrounded by men and women dressed similarly to him, except their masks were white and his had a faint golden hue. None of the masks had any eyes or mouths, they were plain blank covers.
Thud!
Thud!
Urgently, the crowd took an attentive position like a professional army. So many of them yet the silence was deafening. Each breath was measured, and he could feel all their eyes behind the masks were centered on him.
They were his.
This was his wizard army.
"Vanguards!" Dudley addressed them, his voice slightly changed now. Heavier, deeper, and hoarse. "What's the word?"
"Fate is a number!" The Vanguards replied in unison like a salute, loud but not as a shout.
Dudley nodded and walked to the front of the gathered men and women. There were a hundred in total. The best of the Vanguard Group who'd finished the advanced training. Each of them was trained according to Auror's training manual that Tonks had gotten for him. But he'd gone a step further and bought more training manuals from other governments. Of course, unofficially.
"Mr. X."
He saw Tonks approach him in her masked attire. "Show them the picture, Ms. Secretary."
Quickly, Tonks waved her wand in the air and a massive image of a man's face appeared on the ceiling. It was bright in that dimly lit hall. It was extremely vivid.
"Remember this face!" Dudley gave the official order, bound by the vow. "Once we reach there, we'll see plenty of evil. We'll see the Dark Lord himself. But—the Dark Lord is not our target tonight."
"Etch that face in your minds."
Dudley pointed his wand at the ceiling, his voice filled with pure disdain.
"Remember the long blonde hair! That sneering face! Those proud eyes! Remember it!"
He took a pause and waited. Each of the hundred members there were like him in one way or another. Muggleborn or harmed by the Purebloods. They hated the purebloods, and they hated the system that enabled those purebloods.
One after another, the Vanguards stopped looking up. Once their focus returned to Dudley, he commenced the operation.
"He is who we hunt tonight."
______________________
Check out Dudley X Lily Creampie NSFW ART, and advance chapters at P@treon.com/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 6 long chapters of this story on Patreon. That's equal to 18-22 Webnovel chapters.
Old Free Art on Discord: https://discord.gg/W5FdB6WXaP